At the beginning of the semester, Residence Life and Housing decided it was no longer necessary for desk attendants and resident assistants to check student IDs when they entered a residence hall at night.

Now, the procedure has been changed. RAs and DAs are checking student IDs between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., effective Sept. 30.

According to Richard Kolenda, assistant vice president for Residence Life and Housing, the change was made “in good faith” because of new security measures that have been implemented within the last five years. Residence halls are locked all day, accessible with student IDs. Kolenda said there are also cameras in most residence halls.

“With the added security measures that we had, we were thinking it was not necessary to check IDs,” Kolenda said. “We have a safe campus here.”

The subject came up during an annual review over the summer. Kolenda said those involved with the decision wondered if the extra work was needed when there were other preventative measures in places.

Darryl Webber, a junior, has been a desk attendant in Hart Hall for two years. Webber said the process of checking IDs was not inconvenient, but a necessary step.

“We would ask them if they were staying the night,” Webber said. “If they were staying the night, we have them fill out an overnight guest form. If they are not staying the night, we have them fill out a visitor log.”

Several weeks into the semester, Kolenda received feedback from students who were unhappy with the change in policy.

“I’m not sure how widespread the concern is, but there were a couple of people who expressed some concern about that,” Kolenda said.

During RA training this summer, Kolenda said some RAs did express concern, but not everyone felt that way.

Gabriella Green, a senior, is an RA in Scales. She said checking IDs seems less necessary in a smaller building like Scales, but when she was an RA in Seneca, she saw it as a valuable measure.

“I think it was very helpful in preventing things from happening in that you could always see if there were a lot of drunk people coming in,” Green said. “If they really wanted to get into the building, checking IDs isn’t necessarily going to stop it, but at the same time it was good to see who was in your building and know who you had to keep an eye out for.”

Kolenda believed that stopping the process of checking student IDs would make things smoother.

“Sometimes students in the past have given our RAs and desk attendants a hassle,” Kolenda said. “Some people get a little irritated with asking for ID every time they walk into the building.”

Webber said some students did get annoyed with the process, typically on Thursday nights.

“They would usually be kind of intoxicated and didn’t feel like filling out paperwork,” Webber said.

Green said she can see the disadvantages of checking student IDs every time they enter a building.

“I think part of it takes away students’ freedom because you come to campus to be more independent,” Green said. “By making you sign in, it’s kind of like our way of babysitting you.”

Kolenda said he is open to listening to students’ feedback.

“If students feel like this is something they would wish us to continue, we’ll continue that,” Kolenda said.

Webber said a major benefit of checking IDs is the peace of mind it provides some residents.

“It’s mainly to make people feel safer, but it doesn’t make people safer,” Webber said. “It makes them feel it, which I guess is a good reason to do it, but I don’t feel that it actually does anything.”

Green said she did not agree with the way the issue was handled because it made her job more confusing.

“It would have been nice for them to figure it out before all the RAs and DAs came out rather than them switching it three different times during training week and then a month into the semester,” Green said.

A committee, chaired by Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Jerald Woolfolk, will be formed to further discuss the matter.

“We try to do our best for students here in every aspect,” Kolenda said. “Everybody has their own opinion on everything and you can’t always hit the mark with everybody.”